Rennie, Albert Ernest: Service no. 643944

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Detailed Biography by his nephew, Mark Rennie Forsythe.

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Family Search: When Private Albert Ernest Rennie was born on 3 March 1896, in Washago, Ontario, Ontario, Canada, his father, George William Rennie, was 41 and his mother, Isabella Sophia Moore, was 36. He registered for military service in 1916. In 1916, at the age of 20, his occupation is listed as farmer. He died on 5 August 1917, in France, at the age of 21, and was buried in Sains-en-Gohelle, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

Summary of Service for Private Albert Ernest Rennie, reg. no. 643944

Date	Event	Remarks
March 3, 1896	Born	Born at Washago, Ontario to Mr. and Mrs. George  and Bella Rennie. He was one of six brothers.
February 9 1916	Enlisted	Initially enlisted with the 157th Overseas Battalion and subsequently transferred to the 76th Battalion. Private Rennie had previous experience in the militia, having served with the 35th Regiment (Grey and Simcoe Foresters). He enlisted at the age of 19 years, 9 months and stood 5’9” tall. He enlisted in Orillia.
December 14, 1915 to April 1, 1916.	Served with the 157th Battalion
January 1916	Tonsils Removed	Per medical history summary taken at Moore Barracks Hospital upon is admission on June 7, 1916.
April 1, 1916	Transferred 76th Battalion.	He was a member of “B” Company, according to his admitting slip to Moore Barracks Hospital.
April 17, 1916	Inoculated	Vaccinations
[April] 11, 15, 27, 1916	Inoculated	Anti-Typhoid
April 23, 1916	Embarked for England	Sailed for England aboard the S.S. Empress Britain.
May 1, 1916	Assigns Pay	Assigns $15.00 per month to his Mother, Mrs. Bella Rennie.
May 5, 1916	Arrives Liverpool
June 7, 1916	Moore Barracks Canadian Hospital	Admitted for bronchitis. Admitting notes: [Condition]: Severe cold, and inability to speak upon admission. Prev. Illness: Never had any severe illness except tonsillitis. Tonsils removed in Jany. 1916. Fam. Hist: Parents l + w. 5 brothers all well; no sisters.
June 22, 1916	Discharged from Moore Barracks Canadian Hospital.
July 5, 1916	Transferred to 18th Battalion
July 6, 1916	Arrives Canadian Base Depot	Etaples, France
July 30, 1916	Proceeds to Join Unit
August 1, 1916	Arrives at 18th Battalion	The Battalion is in the rear at Alberta Camp. Private Rennie arrives as part of a reinforcement draft of 20 men on that date. Of interest is that he would be issued a Ross Rifle and it was on August 30, 1916 that the Battalion was issued with the Lee-Enfield SMLE.
February 4, 1917	5th Canadian Field Ambulance	Attended to at 5th C.F.A. for chilblains. The Battalion stationed at Auchel, France at rest billets.
February 9, 1917	Returned to Duty	Private Rennie returns to the Battalion, still at Auchel and in the process of rest, refit, and training.
August 5, 1917	Killed in Action	Private Rennie may have been on of the 350 men assigned to carry the equipment for the trench mortar batteries. The War Dairy records that 1 man was killed that night and 3 other ranks were wounded.
July 31, 1920	Headstone Erected	Fosse No 10 Communal Cemetery at Sains-en-Gohelle, France. Plot II. D. 17.
April 2013	Fosse No 10 Communal Cemetery at Sains-en-Gohelle, France.	Private Rennie’s nephew, Mark Forsythe and his wife Catherine, attend Private Rennie’s grave and place The Colours of Canada in remembrance to his sacrifice.